Creative pursuits: Gardening

Posted on 22/10/2013

Gardening is a pastime that appeals to a wide range of
people, because of its therapeutic nature and the fitness benefits associated
with it. There are a lot of ways to get involved in gardening, whether that is
looking after your own space, growing fruits and vegetables in an allotment, or
helping out in community gardening projects.

There are plenty of community-based schemes where volunteers
help maintain the gardens of elderly or disabled people who cannot cope with it
themselves. Joining these schemes can help you to find a new social group, but
volunteering is also associated with improved well-being.

There are ways that gardens can be adapted to help older or
disabled people to continue to maintain them, so have a look for local schemes
that can help with this or ask friends and family to see what they can do.
Ideas include raising beds to a height that is easier to reach, improving
access for wheelchairs around the garden, and finding specialist tools that are
designed to make gardening easier.

The benefits

Gardening is be a physical challenge, and so it can help to
improve fitness and strength. Maintaining a home garden can mean anything from
mowing the lawn, to repeatedly squatting up and down to plant flowers – all of
which keeps you moving, maintains joint mobility and increases muscle strength.

As well as the physical benefits, it is also good for mental
health as being outside and among nature can be relaxing and good for de-stressing.
It helps to keep the mind active as well.

Top 3 gardening tips

1. Get the right tools

The right tool for the right job will make things easier. You
can buy specially adapted tools to help you if needed, such as those with
easier grips or longer handles.

2. Wear protective clothing

Proper gardening gloves can help protect your hands from
getting sore, and it makes it much easier when handling tools. If you are using
compost, then make sure that you wear a face mask, as this will help prevent
Legionnaires’ disease, which can be contracted by breathing in small dust
particles.

3. Adapt your garden

If you can’t manage your garden as it is, then bring in some
professional help to adapt it so that you can get around easily and still look
after it yourself. This could mean wider and smoother paving, raised beds or
container gardening, where you plant flowers and vegetables in large containers
that are easier to reach.

Resources

Age UK Pinterest board for gardening

Age UK maintains a Pinterest board dedicated to gardening,
where it posts top tips for any season, as well as inspirational images.

Gardening for Disabled Trust

Gardening for Disabled Trust is a charity that believes that
age, accident or disability shouldn’t stop people from enjoying gardening. They
provide grants to people to help adapt their gardens so that they are able to
maintain them themselves. Membership is required to apply for a grant, and the
site recommends that people research the available options and visit gardens to
get an idea of what is possible.

The website offers a useful catalogue of services, such as
links to ergonomic gardening tools, specialist greenhouse and other options.